The Real Way to Experience Thailand

Living in Baan Nam Khem opens your eyes to a whole different side of Thailand. A stark contrast to the fast paced larger cities, this humble village is rich in both culture and history.
When walking down the streets of the village you will always feel welcomed by the friendly members of the local community, they are always smiling and happy to wave you “hello”. Exploring the village will eventually lead you to the Tsunami Memorial Park, the Community Development Centre and the Hands Across Water Foundation. All of which are worth a visit. These centres not only play a key role in developing the village, yet are also great opportunities to experience first hand how your work as a GVI Volunteer contributes to the village and is valued by the community.
Our biodiversity hike through Khao Lak National Park was an experiential endeavour. We trekked through the five tiers of Ton Chong Fa Waterfall spotting various types of fauna as we travelled, spotting different species of birds, invertebrate and reptiles. Our task as conservation volunteers was to conduct a biodiversity survey and attempt to spot, identify and record all the different types of life we could. While we only encountered a small handful of wildlife, as it is wet season, this did not prevent us from witnessing the amazing natural formations of rocks along the waterfalls and enjoying the coolness of the water from right below where the water cascaded and plummeted into the stream.
The experience that volunteering for GVI Thailand can provide you with is nothing like you could imagine. In the four days we’ve been volunteering, we’ve taken part in educating the young local community about marine conservation, witnessed classes being conducted with fellow volunteers teaching English as a foreign language, exploring Thailand’s mangroves whilst spotting snakes amongst intricately grown flora, carefully handling turtles applying fungal treatments and cleaning their tanks… the list goes on and it’s only the beginning. For a Thailand experience unparalleled with any other, there is no better way to experience it than this.